Chapter 1 Introduction to Blockchain Evolution, Architecture and Application with Use Cases Sidharth Samanta, Bhabendu Kumar Mohanta, Deepti Patnaik, and Srikanta Patnaik Abstract Blockchain is not a hype, it is here to stay. Before you dive deeper into the business applications of the Blockchain, you have to understand the fundamentals and the functionalities of the Blockchain. This chapter will guide you to understand both non-technical and technical working principles, evolution, architecture, types, use cases, applications, and tools for implementation of Blockchain. Although there is no technical prerequisite of the chapter, a basic knowledge of network systems and cryptography is required for better understanding. 1.1 Layman’s Introduction to Blockchain Suppose you are lending some money to your friend and both of you agreed on some terms like the period and the interest rate. To overcome the worst-case scenarios like denial and false claim, you pick another person as a witness of the transaction and the agreement. Every transaction has to be gone through that person’s approval. In this process, no individual can claim or deny any transaction. As you are thinking about the worst-case scenario, humans are prone to circum- stances and manipulations such as unavailability, foul play, and partiality. To over- S. Samanta Department of CSA, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, India e-mail: samantasidharth@gmail.com B. K. Mohanta (B ) Department of CSE, IIIT, Bhubaneswar, India e-mail: bhabendukumar@gmail.com D. Patnaik Department of Finance, IIMT, Bhubaneswar, India e-mail: deeptipatnaik5@gmail.com S. Patnaik Department of CSE, SOA University, Bhubaneswar, India e-mail: patnaik_srikanta@yahoo.co.in © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021 S. Patnaik et al. (eds.), Blockchain Technology and Innovations in Business Processes, Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 219, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6470-7_1 1